Schemes

accumulation: Summary of previous arguments in a forceful manner adnomination: Repetition of a word with a change in letter or sound alliteration: Series of words that begin with the same consonant or sound alike adynaton: hyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to suggest a complete impossibility. anacoluthon: Change in the syntax within a sentence anadiplosis: Repetition of a word at the end of a clause at the beginning of another anaphora: Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses anastrophe: Inversion of the usual word order anticlimax: Arrangement of words in order of decreasing importance antimetabole: Repetition of words in successive clauses, in reverse order antistrophe: Repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses (see epistrophe) antithesis: Juxtaposition of opposing or contrasting ideas aphorismus: Statement that calls into question the definition of a word aposiopesis: Breaking off or pausing speech for dramatic or emotional effect apostrophe: Directing the attention away from the audience and to a personified abstraction apposition: Placing of two elements side by side, in which the second defines the first assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds, most commonly within a short passage of verse asteismus: Facetious or mocking answer that plays on a word asyndeton: Omission of conjunctions between related clauses cacophony: Juxtaposition of words producing a harsh sound cataphora: Co-reference of one expression with another expression which follows it (example: If you need one, there's a towel in the top drawer.) classification (literature & grammar): Linking a proper noun and a common noun with an article chiasmus: Word order in one clause is inverted in the other (inverted parallelism). climax: Arrangement of words in order of increasing importance commoratio: Repetition of an idea, re-worded consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds, most commonly within a short passage of verse dystmesis: A synonym for tmesis ellipsis: Omission of words enallage: Substitution of forms that are grammatically different, but have the same meaning enjambment: Breaking of a syntactic unit (a phrase, clause, or sentence) by the end of a line or between two verses enthymeme: Informal method of presenting a syllogism epanalepsis: Repetition of the initial word or words of a clause or sentence at the end of the clause or sentence epistrophe: Repetition of the same word or group of words at the end of successive clauses. The counterpart of anaphora (also known as antistrophe)

euphony: Opposite of cacophony - i.e. pleasant sounding hendiadys: Use of two nouns to express an idea when the normal structure would be a noun and a modifier hendiatris: Use of three nouns to express one idea homeoptoton: in a flexive language the use the first and last words of a sentence in the same forms homographs: Words that are identical in spelling but different in origin and meaning homonyms: Words that are identical with each other in pronunciation and spelling, but differing in origin and meaning homophones: Words that are identical with each other in pronunciation but differing in origin and meaning hypallage: Changing the order of words so that they are associated with words normally associated with others hyperbaton: Schemes featuring unusual or inverted word order hyperbole: Exaggeration of a statement hysteron proteron: The inversion of the usual temporal or causal order between two elements isocolon: Use of parallel structures of the same length in successive clauses internal rhyme: Using two or more rhyming words in the same sentence kenning: A metonymic compound where the terms together form a sort of anecdote merism: Referring to a whole by enumerating some of its parts non sequitur: Statement that bears no relationship to the context preceding onomatopoeia: Word that imitates a real sound (e.g. tick-tock or boom) paradiastole: Repetition of the disjunctive pair "neither" and "nor" parallelism: The use of similar structures in two or more clauses paraprosdokian: Unexpected ending or truncation of a clause parenthesis: Insertion of a clause or sentence in a place where it interrupts the natural flow of the sentence paroemion: Resolute alliteration in which every word in a sentence or phrase begins with the same letter parrhesia: Speaking openly or boldly, or apologizing for doing so (declaring to do so) perissologia: The fault of wordiness pleonasm: Use of superfluous or redundant words polyptoton: Repetition of words derived from the same root polysyndeton: Repetition of conjunctions pun: When a word or phrase is used in two different senses sibilance: Repetition of letter 's', it is a form of alliteration sine dicendo: A statement that is so obvious it need not be stated; when uttered almost seems pointless (e.g. 'You can never save too much') superlative: Saying something the best of something i.e. the ugliest,the most precious spoonerism: Interchanging of (usually initial) letters of words with amusing effect symploce: Simultaneous use of anaphora and epistrophe: the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning and the end of successive clauses synchysis: Interlocked word order synesis: Agreement of words according to the sense, and not the grammatical form synizesis: Pronunciation of two juxtaposed vowels or diphthongs as a single sound

synonymia: Use of two or more synonyms in the same clause or sentence tautology: Redundancy due to superfluous qualification; saying the same thing twice tmesis: Division of the elements of a compound word zeugma: The using of one verb for two actions

Tropes

allegory: Extended metaphor in which a story is told to illustrate an important attribute of the subject alliteration: Repetition of the first consonant sound in a phrase. allusion: Indirect reference to another work of literature or art anacoenosis: Posing a question to an audience, often with the implication that it shares a common interest with the speaker antanaclasis: A form of pun in which a word is repeated in two different senses anthimeria: Substitution of one part of speech for another, often turning a noun into a verb anthropomorphism: Ascribing human characteristics to something that is not human, such as an animal or a god (see zoomorphism) antimetabole: Repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed grammatical order antiphrasis: Word or words used contradictory to their usual meaning, often with irony antonomasia: Substitution of a phrase for a proper name or vice versa aphorism: Tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion, an adage apophasis: Invoking an idea by denying its invocation apostrophe: Addressing a thing, an abstraction or a person not present archaism: Use of an obsolete, archaic, word(a word used in olden language, e.g. Shakespeare's language) auxesis: Form of hyperbole, in which a more important sounding word is used in place of a more descriptive term catachresis: Mixed metaphor (sometimes used by design and sometimes a rhetorical fault) circumlocution: "Talking around" a topic by substituting or adding words, as in euphemism or periphrasis commiseration: Evoking pity in the audience correctio: Linguistic device used for correcting one's mistakes, a form of which is epanorthosis denominatio: Another word for metonymy double negative: Grammar construction that can be used as an expression and it is the repetition of negative words dysphemism: Substitution of a harsher, more offensive, or more disagreeable term for another. Opposite of euphemism epanorthosis: Immediate and emphatic self-correction, often following a slip of the tongue enumeratio: A form of amplification in which a subject is divided, detailing parts, causes, effects, or consequences to make a point more forcibly

epanados: Repetition in a sentence with a reversal of words. Example: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath erotema: Synonym for rhetorical question euphemism: Substitution of a less offensive or more agreeable term for another hermeneia: Repetition for the purpose of interpreting what has already been said hyperbaton: Words that naturally belong together are separated from each other for emphasis or effect hyperbole: Use of exaggerated terms for emphasis hypocatastasis: An implication or declaration of resemblance that does not directly name both terms hypophora: Answering one's own rhetorical question at length hysteron proteron: Reversal of anticipated order of events; a form of hyperbaton innuendo: Having a hidden meaning in a sentence that makes sense whether it is detected or not invocation: Apostrophe to a god or muse irony: Use of word in a way that conveys a meaning opposite to its usual meaning kataphora: Repetition of a cohesive device at the end litotes: Emphasizing the magnitude of a statement by denying its opposite malapropism: Using a word through confusion with a word that sounds similar meiosis: Use of understatement, usually to diminish the importance of something merism: Statement of opposites to indicate reality metalepsis: Referring to something through reference to another thing to which it is remotely related metaphor: Stating one entity is another for the purpose of comparing them in quality metonymy: Substitution of an associated word to suggest what is really meant neologism: The use of a word or term that has recently been created, or has been in use for a short time. Opposite of archaism onomatopoeia: Words that sound like their meaning oxymoron: Using two terms together, that normally contradict each other parable: Extended metaphor told as an anecdote to illustrate or teach a moral lesson paradox: Use of apparently contradictory ideas to point out some underlying truth paradiastole: Extenuating a vice in order to flatter or soothe paraprosdokian: Phrase in which the latter part causes a rethinking or reframing of the beginning parallel irony: An ironic juxtaposition of sentences or situations (informal) paralipsis: Drawing attention to something while pretending to pass it over paronomasia: A form of pun, in which words similar in sound but with different meanings are used pathetic fallacy: Using a word that refers to a human action on something nonhuman periphrasis: Using several words instead of few personification/prosopopoeia/anthropomorphism: Attributing or applying human qualities to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena praeteritio: Another word for paralipsis procatalepsis: Refuting anticipated objections as part of the main argument prolepsis: Another word for procatalepsis

proslepsis: Extreme form of paralipsis in which the speaker provides great detail while feigning to pass over a topic proverb: Succinct or pithy expression of what is commonly observed and believed to be true pun: Play on words that will have two meanings repetition: Repeated usage of word(s)/group of words in the same sentence to create a poetic/rhythmic effect rhetorical question: Asking a question as a way of asserting something. Or asking a question not for the sake of getting an answer but for asserting something (or as in a poem for creating a poetic effect) satire: Use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. A literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule. A literary genre comprising such compositions simile: Comparison between two things using like or as snowclone: Quoted or misquoted clich or phrasal template superlative: Saying that something is the best of something or has the most of some quality, e.g. the ugliest, the most precious etc. syllepsis: Form of pun, in which a single word is used to modify two other words, with which it normally would have differing meanings syncatabasis (condescension, accommodation): adaptation of style to the level of the audience synecdoche: Form of metonymy, in which a part stands for the whole synesthesia: Description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another. tautology: Needless repetition of the same sense in different words Example: The children gathered in a round circle transferred epithet: Placing of an adjective with what appears to be the incorrect noun truism: a self-evident statement tricolon diminuens: Combination of three elements, each decreasing in size tricolon crescens: Combination of three elements, each increasing in size zeugma: A figure of speech related to syllepsis, but different in that the word used as a modifier is not compatible with one of the two words it modifies zoomorphism: Applying animal characteristics to humans or gods